Summer activities for military families near Fort Bragg

Thursday

Jun 27, 2013 at 12:01 AMJun 27, 2013 at 2:15 PM

Admission to North Carolina's largest amusement park is free July 3-4 for active or retired service members with military ID. The park is also planning a flag ceremony, picnic, special musical performances, interactive military displays and fireworks on the 4th. · 14523 Carowinds Blvd., Charlotte, 704-588-2600 carowinds.com.

Or, opt for the same deal at Kings Dominion in Virginia. At a little more than 3 1/2hours' drive from Fayetteville, it's farther than Carowinds but has an edge in size and the number of rides. Plus, it's a straight shot up Interstate 95. 16000 Theme Park Way, Doswell, Va., 804-876-5000 kingsdominion.com

You may already know about the discounts offered to military families at Disney World, but what about Legoland in nearby Winter Haven? Active-duty military personnel receive one free day admission in 2013 by presenting their military IDs at the ticket window, but it's probably a good idea to reserve in advance. Family members can get deep discounts by purchasing their tickets through Fort Bragg MWR's Ticket and Tours office. 1 Legoland Way, Winter Haven, 877-350-5346 florida.legoland.com

For the fourth summer in a row, the Blue Star Museums program offers military families free admission to more than 2,000 art centers, museums and exhibits around the country and almost 50 in North Carolina alone. Discovery Place in Charlotte would ordinarily cost a family of four $44. This summer? Zero. Scratch off a few places on your N.C. bucket list. We give you a few of our favorites that normally charge an admission but are free to military this summer:

Discovery Place in downtown Charlotte has been teaching kids about science in a fun way for years, but a new summer exhibit is sure to out-gross even the most slime-loving sixth-grader. "Animal Grossology" features a robotic fly as big as a lawn tractor, a live Donkey Dung Sea Cucumber and a cow that greets visitors with a blast of hot air from its hind quarters. Discovery Place KIDS recently opened in Rockingham - it's smaller than the main location but half the drive from Fayetteville and offers a discount to military families. 301 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, 704-372-6261, discoveryplace.org

An exhibit this summer at the Nasher Museum of Art on the Duke University campus in Durham features works of the Old Masters, but Nasher is primarily known for its contemporary art collections. Even the building is modern, a striking difference to the 210-foot neo-Gothic Duke Chapel on the school's West Campus. Stroll the quads or the nearby Sarah P. Duke Garden. 2001 Campus Drive, Durham, 919-684-5135, nasher.duke.edu

Reynolda House Museum of American Art near Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem is a house and museum rolled into one. Once home to Katherine Smith Reynolds, the 64-room estate houses one of the best American art collections in the country. The home's gardens, part of the university campus, are open to the public.

While you're there, it's well worth a trip to the restored historic town of Old Salem. Old Salem Museums & Gardens is part of the Blue Star program.

2250 Reynolda Road, Winston-Salem, 336-758-5150, reynoldahouse.org

600 S. Main St., Winston-Salem, 336-721-7300, oldsalem.org

Here are the North Carolina museums offering free admission this summer.

Asheville

Asheville Art Museum

Blowing Rock

Blowing Rock Art and History Museum

Buies Creek

Lundy-Fetterman Museum at Campbell University

Catawba

Murray's Mill Historic District

Chapel Hill

Ackland Art Museum

Charlotte

Bechtler Museum of Modern Art

Discovery Place Inc.

Johnson C. Smith University

Levine Museum of the New South

Mint Museum of Art

Cullowhee

Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum

Durham

Bennett Place State Historic Site

Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University

Fort Bragg

82nd Airborne Division War Memorial Museum

Fuquay-Varina

Fuquay-Varina Museums Inc.

Graham

Children's Museum of Alamance County

Greensboro

Greensboro Children's Museum

Greensboro Historical Museum

Hamlet

Hamlet Depot & Museums

Harkers Island

Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center

Hickory

Catawba Science Center

Harper House/Hickory History Center

High Point

High Point Museum

Hillsborough

Orange County Historical Museum

Jefferson

Musuem of Ashe County History

Kings Mountain

Kings Mountain Historical Museum

Manteo

Island Farm

Mebane

Mebane Historical Museum

Mooresville

Welcome Home Veterans/ Richard's Coffee Shop

Mount Gilead

Town Creek Indian Mound State Historic Site

Murfreesboro

Murfreesboro Historical Association Inc.

Newton

Catawba County Museum of History

Ocean Isle Beach

Museum of Coastal Carolina

Plymouth

Port o' Plymouth Museum

Raleigh

North Carolina Museum of History

Richlands

Onslow County Museum

Shelby

Cleveland County Arts Council

Sunset Beach

Ingram Planetarium

Washington

North Carolina Estuarium

Whiteville

North Carolina Museum of Forestry

Wilmington

Cape Fear Museum of History and Science

Windsor

Historic Hope Foundation

Roanoke/Cashie River Center

Winston-Salem

Old Salem Museums & Gardens

Reynolda House Museum of American Art

SciWorks Science Center and Environmental Park

N.C. national parks

Many military families aren't aware that the National Parks Service offers free annual passes to active-duty service members and their dependents. That means free admission to places like Yosemite and the Grand Canyon, but also the Wright Brothers National Memorial right here. store.usgs.gov/pass. Here's a list of national parks in North Carolina:

Appalachian Trail

Blue Ridge Parkway

Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Cape Lookout National Seashore

Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Guilford Courthouse National Military Park

Gullah/Geeche Cultural Heritage Corridor

Moores Creek National Battlefield

Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail

Trail of Tears National Historic Trail

Wright Brothers National Memorial

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